


The Second Impossible Girl

by Phoebmonster



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-26
Updated: 2013-09-18
Packaged: 2017-12-24 18:33:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/943263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebmonster/pseuds/Phoebmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young child, Ellie Rose Oswald, finds herself in the TARDIS and claims that Clara is her mum. But is she all she says she is? Bits of Whouffle and lots of tears for everyone involved...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eleanor Rose Oswald

**Author's Note:**

> Hey look, Phoebe can't write happy whouffle :3 I apologise for any mistakes, spell check is a bit iffy on my iPod!

"So, when to today then, Doctor?" Clara giggled at the absurdity of the statement. "Or where. Or both!" The Doctor grinned as he twirled several levers and pushed some of the flashing buttons. "Well, I've received a bit of a strange transmission - it's just a series of codes and numbers but I traced it back to early 1943 in East London. "   
"Could it be something for the war? Y'know, RADAR and all that?" The Doctor shook his head. "Nah, it's too advanced. I'm running it through the TARDIS systems but so far we've got nothing. I'll just go check, Clara, could you hold this please? Keep it level and we'll be there in no time!" The Doctor grinned even wider as he handed Clara the lever and bounced off down a corridor. Clara's heart fluttered as she smiled at his retreating figure, but she quickly composed herself so she could fly the TARDIS. Suddenly, the TARDIS landed with an almighty crash, sending Clara head over heels down the steps by the door. Several cables had come loose and were fizzing and showering sparks onto the dimly lit console. Before Clara could call the Doctor or even stand up, the doors to the TARDIS opened with a bang and a small girl ran in, shutting the doors behind her. The girl was around 5 or 6, with long dark brown hair and a tear stained face. She was panting as she leant her head against the door, clasping the handles for dear life. Clara stood up shakily and spoke softly. "Umm... Hello." The little girl turned around in utter shock and barrelled into Clara, hugging her tightly. "Oh mummy mummy I've missed you so much oh I'm sorry mummy but the bombs and the guns..." Clara cut off the girl's frantic ramblings by kneeling down and clasping her by the shoulders. "I think you have me confused - I'm not a mum!" The girl wiped her eyes and looked at Clara thoughtfully. "Of course you're a mum. You're my mum. I'm Eleanor Rose Oswald, and you are my mum."

"Oh." Clara stood up and tried to process the statement. "But I'm ... I swear... I don't have a daughter." Eleanor was shaking now, her hands frantically adjusting her tattered dress. "But mummy, it's me, Ellie, I'm your daughter! Mummy! It's me!" Clara was still speechless when Ellie started to cry. "Stop it now. Mummy, please stop it. Mummy, you're scaring me!" Clara's nanny instinct kicked in and she knelt down again to hug the little girl. She looked round as she heard the Doctor come in. "Help me!" She mouthed.


	2. 3 years, 8 months, 9 days

Ten minutes later, Ellie was sat on Clara's lap, sniffing and sucking her thumb. The Doctor was alternating between sonic-ing them and sonic-ing the screens with a confused expression. "Well then? What are the results?" The Doctor leant against the TARDIS console and adjusted his bowtie. "There is a 99.99% certainty that you are, in fact, Ellie's mother." Clara gasped. "But I can't be... I've never been pregnant for christ's sake! And what is my daughter doing in WW2 anyway?" Ellie smiled and took her thumb out of her mouth. "I knew you were my mum. But what's going on here? What's with the funny clothes and the blue box?" The Doctor leaned forward and ran a hand through his hair. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself, Ellie? Then we can try and get this whole mess sorted out." Ellie looked blank so Clara gave her a prod in the arm. "How old are you? When's your birthday?" Ellie smiled up at Clara. "You should remember that! I'm 7 and 2/3rds and my birthday's on the 12th of June."   
"Really? You're 7?" asked the Doctor disbelievingly. Ellie scrunched up her nose and glared at him. "I'm small for my age! But I am clever! Mrs Billingsbury told Mum I could be a nurse or a school teacher if I wanted to! You remember that, don't you?" Clara smiled sadly and the Doctor quickly posed another question. "What about your dad, Ellie? You haven't mentioned him." Ellie looked down and started to pull at the hem of her skirt. "My father is Hamish Clark, chief engineer at the Torchwood institute for modern warfare. I haven't seen him in 3 years - he was captured by the Germans." Then, in a small voice, she added "Three years, 8 months and 9 days, to be exact." Clara put her arms around the little girl and awkwardly patted her hair. The Doctor broke the silence. "Ellie, one thing I don't understand is why you came to be in here in the first place. Were you in trouble?" The Doctor held up the physic paper. "Because I got this message saying..." Ellie interrupted him. "I know what it says - I can read. It says 'I'm lost, come quick.'" The Doctors eyes widened. "But Ellie ... This was written in circular gallefrain and the TARDIS isn't translating it... How?" Ellie smiled and started to play with the edges of Clara's hair. "It's my own secret language. Mum said the only other person who could read it was her imaginary friend with whom she went on adventures with as a kid, the ... Doctor." Ellie hopped off Clara's lap and walked slowly towards the Doctor. "Are you the Doctor? The actually, properly Doctor?" The Doctor bowed and grinned widely. "The one and only." Ellie leapt on him and enveloped him in a huge hug. He picked her up and twirled her round, setting a giggling Ellie back on the console, opposite Clara. "Well, now that's sorted out, I'll explain some other things. We're in the TARDIS, Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It's bigger on the inside because.." Ellie interrupted to finish off his sentence with a grin "It's dimensionally transcendental."   
The Doctor grinned. "Very good! It can travel anywhere in space and time and..." The Doctor was interrupted by a kick in the shins from Clara as she motioned towards Ellie. Ellie wore a rather pained expression and was fidgeting a lot. "Ellie, do you need the loo? It's the first door on the left if you go down that corridor." Ellie smiled at Clara and hopped down the steps. "Thanks mum!" She called behind her. As soon as the girl was out of sight, Clara got up to stand next to the Doctor. "What on earth are we going to do, Doctor? That can't be my child!" The Doctor stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But it isn't just the DNA, she has all of you're mannerisms like you screw up your face when you're angry and your nose does the thing when you laugh. Y'know, that sort of stuff." Clara would have normally been flattered that the Doctor paid so much attention but today she was just worried and scared. "But Doctor, how did she come to be in the first place? I can't get stuck in WW2! And I have no memories of being sent back there when I jumped in your timestream! And anyway, I can't look after her, I'm 24! If I suddenly arrive home with a 7 year old child ... plus I'd probably have to stay here as you can't just take a child from 1943 to 2013, it wouldn't work. I ... I can't do this, Doctor." The Doctor reached in to hug Clara but stopped short as he noticed something. Ellie was standing in the entrance to the corridor, shaking, silent tears pouring down her face. She let out a wail and as Clara turned around, she noticed a small puddle underneath the little girl. "Mummy you can't leave me! Mummy!" Clara ran over and gently picked up the crying child and carried her to the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have written a few chapters ahead so if anyone wants them to be published sooner, I'm happy to oblige :3 Otherwise it'll probably be a chapter every few days ...


	3. A Golden Glow

A while later, Clara and a rather shaken Ellie were sat in the bathroom. Ellie was pushing at the bubbles in the bath and Clara was sat in the lid of the toilet seat. Clara broke the silence. "Look, Ellie, I'm sorry. But, as you've probably guessed, I'm not the mum you've known for the last seven years of your life. I'm 24 and I live in 2013." Ellie looked puzzled for a minite but then smiled suddenly. "You mean - you're from the future! But I thought the world was going to end and the Germans were going to take over." Clara smiled half heartedly and shook her head. "Between you and me, Britain win the war. The world doesn't end." Ellie's smile grew wider. "Yes! And is my dad alive, in the future?" Clara looked down and started to pick at the hem on her skirt. "I don't know, sorry." Ellie lay back and let the bubbles wash over her hair. "Well then, in the future, do you have any children?" Clara laughed. "No, I don't even have a boyfriend!" Ellie looked puzzled. "I though the Doctor was your boyfriend! That's why you travel in this box thingy - wait, is it like a kissing box?" Clara laughed again, even louder. "He is most certainly not my boyfriend, and this is most certainly not a snog box!" Ellie retorted by blowing huge clump if bubbles on Clara and splashing her with water. Clara shrieked and dipped her hands in the bath causing a tidal wave of water of splash onto Ellie's legs. Soon, they were in a full scale water fight.

Another ten minutes later and both Clara and Ellie were soaking wet. They sat on the floor of the TARDIS wardrobe, Ellie in a huge fluffy towel, Clara in her sopping wet dress. Clara got up and walked into a little changing area. "I'll be out in a minute Ellie, I'll just get changed." Soon, Clara emerged in a dark blue lacy dress which finished just above her knees. It has little capped sleeves and twirled as Clara walked. She was also wearing thick grey woollen tights and dark blue converse. Her hair was draped over one shoulder, still a bit wet from the bath water. Ellie grinned and then looked puzzled. "That's great, but what am I going to wear? My other clothes are filthy and I don't expect you have anything my size." Clara grinned and pointed at a set of double doors at the far end of the room. "That right there's a physic wardrobe. Just walk in, think of what you want to wear and it'll appear. I've used it before, it gets the size right and everything." Clara didn't mention how, for the first few tries, the TARDIS had given her clothes either far too big or far too small. Clara had spent twenty minutes trying to squeeze into a tiny red dress before shouting at the TARDIS and going into her regular wardrobe. Ellie soon came out of the wardrobe with a twirl . She wore a blue woollen skirt, a cream blouse and a light blue pullover. On her feet were a pair of lacy white socks and shiny black shoes. Clara grinned and grabbed a hairbrush off the side. "That looks great! Come here, I'll do your hair in plait, I've got some ribbon." Ellie smiled and sat on the floor next to Clara. "My mum used to do this." She whispered. Clara sighed and tied the first plait. "Listen, Ellie, I don't know what's happening but I'm just as confused as you are. But the Doctor and I ... We've been going on adventures for a few months now. He'll pick me up every Wednesday and we'd go see the stars! I've seen things you wouldn't believe, metal monsters called Cybermen, ghosts, vampires, blood sucking parasites, parasite gods! I've made friend with a victorian lizard lady from the dawn of time, her wife and their potato headed butler! But a few weeks ago, we went somewhere the Doctor should never go - Trenzalore. He's buried there, y'see and it's dangerous for a time traveller to cross their own time stream like that. Anyway, a monster named the Great Intelligence jumped into the Doctor's grave - which was like a portal into his life. He then killed the Doctor at every point in his timeline. The stars were going out and he was dying, so I jumped in as well and saved the Doctor at every point in his timeline. Now there are different versions of me scattered all across the universe." Ellie let out a long breath and replied in wonder. "And you say he isn't your boyfriend ... wait, are you saying that my mum is one of your echo-thingies?" Clara smiled sadly as she tied the bow on the second plait. "I guess so, but I can't remember anything about living through the war ... I normally remember something, even if it's just ..." Clara trailed off as the weight of what she was about to say dawned on her. Dying. The only things she ever really remembered of her past lives was how she died. Clara shook herself out of her stupor to see Ellie had turned to face her, her eyes filled with concern. "This might help jog your memory." Before Clara could question it, Ellie prodded her finger against Clara's temple. BAM. Clara head exploded with memories, memories of her parents, going to school, meeting her husband, having Ellie. BAM she remembered the bombs and the lights and the fire and telling Ellie to run, run for her life as the rubble fell from the ceiling and BAM. Clara stumbled back, clutching her head, trying to hold back tears. Suddenly she noticed the golden glow at the edges of her daughter's fingertips and the pain in her head intensified. "We need to go back up, Ellie. I need to speak with the Doctor." 

Ellie bounded up the stairs and straight into the Doctor's arms. "Hey! Ellie! Look what I found!" The Doctor produced two model spitfires from his pockets. Ellie grinned and took them, running off up the TARDIS steps, making the appropriate noises for the planes. The Doctor grinned and turned around to find an ashen faced Clara sitting in the edge of the console. She was shaking slightly and the Doctor could see she was on the verge of tears. She hopped down and looked at the TARDIS floor. "Her mother's dead, Doctor. She was killed tonight. It was one of my echoes - Ellie helped me remember." Clara's voice was so detached and alone that the Doctor hugged her tightly round the middle and rested his chin on the top of her head. Clara clung to him for a moment before releasing him and running a hand through her hair. "But Doctor, she used regeneration energy to reawaken my memories. So tell me Doctor, who was the other person on the DNA test? Because I bet my right arm it isn't Hamish Clark." The Doctor slumped back against the TARDIS and ran a hand through his hair, mirroring her. "You're right, as always Miss Oswald. Ellie's part time lord - but not any time lord. Me. She's our daughter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh plot twist yeah! I do have another chapter lined up but I have managed to injure my finger so updating may take a while :3


	4. Smoke and Ash

Clara buried her head in her hands and sighed deeply. This was just confirming what she already knew, but it was still a bit of a shock. The Doctor broke the silence. "But it doesn't make any sense! Timelords and humans can't ... combine like that. I thought that there was a mistake in the equipment but even just the physical resemblance... it's uncanny." The Doctor trailed off and stared at his daughter as she ran through the uppermost deck of the TARDIS. Clara prodded him in the arm. "So either one of two things has happened... You, in the future, meet and have a baby with one of my echoes and then leave them. Or ... or me and you have a baby, and then leave her with one of my echoes or myself in the 1930's. But I still don't see how any of this is possible." The Doctor nodded and stroked his chin. "I know - I would never leave you or one of your echoes to look after my child. But I think the best course of action is to let her believe that I'm just your imaginary friend and try and reunite her with the person she thinks is her father." Clara was rather taken aback by the Doctor's apparent disgust that a future version of himself would have a baby with Clara and leave. Clara's heart went all fluttery but she quashed the feeling, she had to focus.  
Ellie barrelled down the stairs and landed the spitfire on the console. She could see the Doctor and Clara were upset but she knew they were trying to hide it behind false smiles. "Doctor, Mu- Clara, what are we doing now?" Clara smiled kindly and clasped Ellie's hand between hers. "We're going to find your dad."  
The Doctor, Clara and Ellie stepped out of the TARDIS tentatively. The first traces of dawn was peeking over the horizon, streaks of blue and grey cutting through the smoke of the night's raid. A few fires were raging on the horizon but otherwise the streets were deathly quiet. Tall brick buildings loomed up either side of them, the windows boarded up and the bases covered in sand bags. Ellie twirled around and grabbed one of the Doctor's hands and one of Clara's. "So - where are we going to start? I could take you to my house!"   
"No." Clara remembered the rubble and the mangled body. Her mangled body. "We're best going up to Torchwood."suggested the Doctor. "They might have some information on what your dad was working on when he was captured." Ellie grinned and started to pull her parents along down a side street. "Okay! I've been there a few times, it's just down here!"  
Several winding alleyways later, the trio emerged in a deserted square. Rubble littered the cobbled stones and a few rats scurried in and out of the deserted buildings. Clara shivered and gripped tighter on Ellie's hand. Ellie started to lead them down a flight of stairs but they stopped short as they heard a low droning sound in the sky. Ellie gasped and hid behind Clara. "Oh my stars, the German bombers are coming back!" The Doctor let go of Ellie's hand and raised his screwdriver to the sky. "That's no Messermit - Oswalds! Get down those stairs and stay down!" As soon as they were all hidden at the base of the staircase, a shadow passed over the square, followed by the ship that created it. It was a huge black battle ship, all gun turrets and engines which spewed thick black smoke. A beam of light descended from the belly of the ship, landing in the middle of the square. A figure descended through the light and landed gracefully on his knees. Clara, Ellie and the Doctor climbed a few steps so get a good look at this alien. He straightened up and the trio gasped. The figure was impossibly skinny with elongated arms and legs which were encased in a black leather body suit. His face was a pale grey, with sunken eyeballs , cracked black lips and a thin nose. His cheekbones were high and sharp but partially obscured by huge lumps which dotted his skin, like his skin had been melted and left to cool. He was bald and his ears were flat to his head with purplish veins bulging out. He sniffed the air and spoke in a gurgling, guttural whisper. "Come out, come out earth child. I know you're here. I can smell you." Clara looked around and gasped as she realised Ellie was gone. The Doctor had noticed too and his eye's were wide with panic. "Little earth girl! I've come to find you! And if you don't appear to me, I'll vaporise your precious father. How's that for motivation?" The square was silent, the Doctor and Clara holding their breath. Slowly, a door on the other side of the square opened and Ellie walked out. Clara gasped and the Doctor grabbed her arm. Ellie walked across the square, her hair flowing in the wind, her hands in little fists. The figure turned around and smiled, flicking his tongue out in pleasure. "Hello, earth girl. You've hidden from us for long enough." Ellie looked up at the alien with a determined scowl on her face. "Don't hurt my father! Or any of my family for that matter!" The alien laughed again, a gurgling noise that echoed around the square. "Such spirit. Let's go. Say goodbye, you won't be coming back." Ellie shot Clara a look of pure fear as the alien grasped her shoulder and they disappeared up the light tunnel. Clara ran up the stairs and ran out into the middle of the square but she knew it was too late. She reached up into the sky, shouting incoherently as the ship spat out a cloud of smoke and disappeared. The Doctor grabbed her arms and Clara spun round. "Quick! Grab the TARDIS! We have to save her!" The Doctor shook his head and smiled sadly. "I can't Clara, she's still in transit. If we try to get her now, they'll just crash the ship and kill us all. They're the Grey Legion of the Moon - they won't hesitate to die to protect their cargo from being taken." Tears were now pouring down Clara's face. "We can't leave her ... she's my daughter. You heartless monster!" Clara hit the Doctor half hearted in the stomach before collapsing in his arms, crying. "She's our daughter!" She whispered, her voice cracking at the end. The Doctor held her and stroked her hair. "I know but we'll have to wait it out. That code scrambled the TARDIS' temporal fields. She can't travel in time, only in space. We'll have to wait for the scout to reach the mothership before we make our move."   
"How long's that?" Clara whispered into his shoulder. "About 12 hours." Clara let out another sob before trying to compose herself enough to leave the Doctor's soft embrace. She wiped her eyes and sniffed loudly, taking the Doctor's hand and walking away. "We best wait it out in the TARDIS then ... " Clara tried to smile reassuringly but her lips quivered as she held back tears. The Doctor returned the half smile and they walked off, back to their ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter may take a while as I'm going back to school soon! Thanks to everyone who kudos'/comments :3


	5. Locked Doors

Clara was unaware of how much time had passed since they'd left the square. It could be minutes or years, it had all blurred into one. At this precise moment, she was lying on the chair by the TARDIS console with her head on the Doctor's lap. He was stroking her hair and they weren't talking. All Clara could think about was the tiny child alone on a huge ship. Her tiny child. They could be doing anything to her, torturing her ... Clara didn't realise she was crying until the Doctor pulled her up and held her close. Clara closed her eyes and felt herself let go and drift into mindless unconsciousness.  
Clara woke up suddenly and sat upright. She realised she was in her own room but her single bed had turned into a double one. The Doctor was lying next to her, his hair sticking up in all directions, his bowtie all twisted around his collar. Clara gently undid it and placed in on her bedside table. She then pulled off his shoes and placed them next to hers. Closing her eyes, Clara laid her head back on the pillow but turned after a few minutes when she heard a strange sound next to her. What Clara saw broke her heart. The Doctor had curled up with his hands wrapped around his middle, his face contorting and shaking as tears dribbled down his cheeks. He was whimpering. Clara gently shook him awake and he opened his eyes in an instant, looking at Clara with haunted eyes. Clara sat up and he buried his head in her shoulder, his tears rolling down her back. She held him close, whispering comforting words in gallefrain and English until he finally, painfully, went back to sleep.  
Clara lost track of time again and the next thing she knew, she was lying back down, her head on the Doctor's chest. She sat up gently, so as not to wake him, and looked at his sleeping face. He seemed so much more at peace when he was asleep. She got up and padded over to the door, opening it and shutting it behind her silently. Clara had the strangest feeling of longing and certainty that she should go down the corridor and open the door on her left. When she got there, the door creaked open of its own accord and Clara gasped. It was a nursery. It was a huge room; the walls were a light blue that melted into a dark blue as it reached the ceiling which was covered in spiralling stars. The floor was a fluffy white carpet and at one end, a few steps led up to an area where the walls were lined with bookshelves, filled with hundreds of different books. A small spiral staircase stood in the corner, leading up to a trapdoor in a ceiling. In the lower area, there was a large white cot with a white cotton canopy, stitched with silver writing in circular gallefrain. Two large silver wardrobes with ornate handles stood in one corner whilst a large box stood in the other, overflowing with toys, a cuddly adipose, a remote controlled TARDIS, a sonic tool set. Clara stood very still just outside the door. She had horrible feeling this place should be left untouched. "It's okay, you can go in." The voice behind her made her jump and Clara whirled around. The Doctor was standing with his hands in his pockets, without his bowtie or his shoes. He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair and padded into the room, Clara trailing behind. After a minute or two, Clara broke the silence. "You have kids." It wasn't a question; it was a statement of fact. The Doctor smiled a half smile and ran his hand along the furniture. "I had kids." He whispered. Clara reached out and their hands connected. Suddenly the Doctor pulled her out of the room and shut the door. Clara raised her eyebrows but he just placed her hand back on the doorknob. "Open it." He said, with more of a genuine smile. Clara did, and gasped. The room had changed in the space of a few seconds, but not entirely. The general layout and the wall patterning had stayed the same but the floor had changed into oak planks and the cot had changed into a huge set of oak bunk beds with a slide connecting the top one to the ground. Large colourful bean bags had been added to the book section and a desk had appeared at the foot of the bed with a little model of the TARDIS and a bright red lamp. When Clara opened the wardrobe, it was filled with clothing from all different era's that would fit a seven year old girl. She turned back to the Doctor with tears in her eyes, only to find he was sitting on the spiral staircase. "Our bedroom's up there." He said, pointing at the trapdoor. Clara smiled and sat down next to him. "Doctor..."  
"Hmm?"  
"Do you think we ... we could do it? Y'know, raise a child in the TARDIS?"  
The Doctor sighed and put his arm on her shoulder. "I don't know. I don't think it's ever been done before. But hey, we are the family of impossibilities." Despite her heartache, Clara smiled. "Yeah. We could be a proper family. I think we could make it work." The Doctor smiled and ran his hand down her hair. After a while, Clara spoke up again. “I didn't stumble upon this place - I think the TARDIS wanted to show it to me." The Doctor looked at the floor and Clara felt his grip tighten on her shoulder. "I was dreaming about this room." he said quietly. "I think she wanted to give you an explanation." Clara took the Doctor's hand and they sat in silence on the stairs, until they both drifted off to sleep again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This actually took me ages to write because I was making myself sad ;-; Don't worry - it won't get any sadder than that. Probably. Maybe. (Almost definitely not). Thank you to everyone who comments/kudos', I wish to hug you all but you probably live in like Alaska. Toodle-oh!


	6. Turn Back Time

The next morning, Clara sat opposite the Doctor at the kitchen table. He was knocking together some box with some wiring and a few other bits from his pockets. Clara rubbed her hands together and tried not to show how nervous she was. "Doctor - what are you making?" The Doctor looked up with wide eyes and the sonic screwdriver in his mouth. Clara giggled and reached over and took it out. "You looked like a puppy!" The Doctor took his screwdriver back with a huff. "It's a scrambler-thingy. It should disable the ships proximity alarms so we can get in, grab Ellie, and get out. Oh, and for the record, I do not look like a puppy!" The Doctor looked all annoyed and Clara smiled. “Yeah, sure…” They sat in silence for a few minutes until Clara plucked up the courage to ask her question. “Doctor…” The Doctor looked up and smiled at her reassuringly. Clara took a deep breath and quickly finished her sentence. “What are we going to do if she isn’t … okay?” The Doctor put down the wires he was holding and looked directly at Clara. “Clara … she’ll be fine. You heard the Grey Soldier; they wanted her, not anyone else. To hurt their cargo … trust me, she’ll be alright.” Clara nodded and the Doctor got back to his tinkering. After a few minutes, the Doctor spoke up again. “You should really eat something.” Clara just shook her head. “I’m not hungry. And if you’re not eating, neither will I.” The Doctor connected the last two wires and checked his watch. “We’ve got two hours before they arrive and I’ve finished. Plenty of time for breakfast!”  
Clara had sat back and laughed as the Doctor tried to make pancakes, but as his third attempt got stuck on the TARDIS ceiling, she went to help him. He was covered in flour and Clara brushed him down and took the pan from his hands. “Right, Doctor, you pour it in like –this- and then you flip it like … this!” After a few more goes, they had two pancakes each. The Doctor covered his with a thick black syrupy liquid and was gulping them down. Clara picked at hers and watched the Doctor get syrup down his chin (to add to the flour) and when it dripped onto his bowtie, he looked so upset. Clara smiled but suddenly remembered her child on the transport ship. She put down her pancake and heard the Doctor speak behind her. “We can make Ellie pancakes when she comes back. I think she’d like that.” Clara grinned and checked her watch. “Doctor! We’ve got 15 minutes! Go get changed, I’ll meet you in the control room.”  
Far above the earth, a huge ship skulked behind the moon. It was black and huge, with huge great pillars with pumped out a greyish smoke and tall gun turrets covered in slimy oil. The stars twinkled behind it but no light was shone on the mysterious ship. A smaller craft docked onto the end with a hiss of hydraulics and a burst of smoke, and whizzing after it, flew the TARDIS. The TARDIS dodged various bits of space debris to dock at the side by a small emergency hatch.  
In the darkness of the ship’s hull, a man sat, hunched over in his prison cell. His curly brown hair was threaded with grey and his green eyes were puffy and watery. His skin was dirty and he wore a ragged lab coat. The man looked up when his cell door opened. Clara stood in the doorway carrying a huge gun with the wired box attached on the top. "Where the hell is my daughter?" She said as the gun clicked into place. The man peered out of the gloom and looked wide eyed at his rescuer. "Clara? It's me, Hamish." He whispered.  
Soon they were walking down the corridor together, Clara marching and Hamish limping behind. "So what you're saying is that you aren't my wife, but a body double from the future? And they have my daughter, here, on this ship?" Clara sighed and nodded. "Essentially, yes. You're taking this all very well..." Hamish shrugged and tried to walk a bit faster. "I've been on an alien spaceship for 3 years - I'll believe anything right now. But is my Clara okay? Has the war ended?" Clara stopped suddenly and looked at the floor. Hamish inhaled deeply and clutched the wall. "She was killed last night, in a bombing raid. I'm so sorry." said Clara in a small voice. Hamish balled his hands into fists and punched the wall, before slowly unravelling them again. "I should have known. I'd always suspected ... at least we still have Ellie." Clara gave a small smile and grabbed Hamish's hand and held her gun aloft in the other. "Yeah. Let’s go het her back then." And they set of at a run down the corridor.  
Soon they arrived in the main control room. It was a huge cavernous room shaped like a sphere, with a balcony running around the top. The bottom floor was covered in black glass which reflected the flashing buttons from the computer screens above. Every available surface was covered in lights and dials, switches and screens. In the centre on the room, there was a huge circle with white light pouring from it. It connected up to a hole in the ceiling which was also made of glass, so the stars were clearly visible. A few of the aliens scuttled about, working on the machines, but apart from that, all was quiet. Clara and Hamish crouched down by the balcony and Hamish explained what he was doing there in the first place. "These aliens - I call them the grey faces - kidnapped me and a bunch of other scientists to build this ... thing. We were given blueprints but after a while, they removed more and more scientists until it was just me left. They said if we didn't build it correctly, our families would be discovered and killed. I completed the project just last week, and I've been in that horrible cell ever since." They looked down for any trace of Ellie when they heard the clump of boots behind them. Twirling around to face the sound, Clara and Hamish saw five of the legion carrying huge weapons bearing down on them. Before he had time to react, a swift jab to the neck rendered Hamish unconscious, Clara falling shortly after. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to fight the blackness but the gun was ripped from her hands and the barrel was brought down hard onto her temple, and the blackness enveloped her.  
Clara blinked hard. The light was too bright and the room span but it soon settled and Clara looked around subtly. She was floating in some kind of containment field in the central control room, with the computers behind her. On her left, Hamish was in a similar cell but he was still out for the count, his head lolling sideways. Clara let out a small gasp when she saw the centre of the room was now a tunnel of gold light, and floating in the middle, hair flying above her in wisps, was Ellie. Her arms were straight out like she was on an invisible cross and head thrown back in a silent scream. Clara struggled against the gas that entrapped her but only managed to alert some guards. A troop of the aliens marched into the room, led by the one that had kidnapped Ellie in the first place. He walked up to Clara’s cell and prodded it with one of his long fingers. The gas suddenly emptied out and Clara dropped to her knees, wincing in pain. The alien laughed and his troop tittered nervously behind him. “Hello, earth girl. What is the name by which I might address you?" His voice was low and dangerous but Clara stood her ground. "I'm Clara but you really should address me as Miss Oswald." Her voice was steady and the alien laughed, the noise gurgling in the back of his throat. "Well then, Miss Oswald. Should I kill you now, or let you watch the child scream? I can't decide which is kinder." Clara swallowed but before she could reply, a familiar voice spoke up. "You should at least introduce yourself first, General. I believe it would be more polite.” The Doctor sauntered into the room and Clara breathed a sigh of relief. The General stiffened and turned away from Clara, pointing at the Doctor with a shaking finger. “Seize him! Immediately!” The Doctor laughed darkly and twirled his sonic screwdriver. “Don’t be stupid, General. You know me. I’ll blow this ship if you try anything. Also, you only have two containment fields on the deck – and their both occupied. And you need both Hamish and Clara here on the deck so you might as well listen to what I have to say.” The General slowly lowered his hand but the guards didn’t relax their weapons. The Doctor grinned and began to walk towards Clara slowly. “Oh, and if you won’t introduce yourself, I will. Clara, this is General Mjesec the Destroyer. I didn’t recognise him before, you’ve had a bit of …” The Doctor trailed off as he gestured to his own face. The General ran a hand over the lumps on his face. “Acid from a satellite. It cannot be repaired. But this is irrelevant. What do you have to say?” The Doctor turned away and started to slowly walk back towards Ellie. “I thought I’d do a bit of explaining. I think Clara deserves to know.” The General snorted. “You know nothing of our plan Doctor. You fell for our trap.” The Doctors jaw tightened and he stared directly into the General’s eyes. “No. Because whilst you were chasing Clara, I hacked your systems. The plan is ingenious, I’ll give you that – but I can’t let you carry it out. Turning back time for a whole planet just so you can have a few more years peace? You’re not the General I remember.” Clara coughed lightly and the Doctor shook himself out of his daydream. “Right. Yes. Well, the simple thing is that in a few decades, the humans will discover space travel, and they’ll want to use it. And you, General, can see their plans. They’re primitive but soon, with a bit of tweaking, those rockets could land on the moon, revealing your existence to a planet who, let’s face it, aren’t really prepared for meeting aliens yet. So you made a plan to turn back time.” The Doctor’s face grew dark. “To turn back time you needed three things – Time, Knowledge and Power. You got the power from kidnapping a bunch of scientists to find the best ones and getting them to build you this engine – a ray gun with the radius the size of a planet. You got the time from me, by hacking the TARDIS systems and taking the huon energy. But the third thing is harder to come by. You needed knowledge of the human, their weak points. And who picks up knowledge quickly? A child. So you kidnapped a couple and built them a child, planting false memories of them having the child and sending them back to earth. Then the child grows up, learning and relaying everything back to you. You even threw in a DNA mask because you knew it would interest me. Then, when the time was right, you bombed the house and sent the child running so she could plant the virus in my TARDIS and bring us to the ship, completing the puzzle.” The Doctor trailed off and Clara buried her face in her hands. Suddenly, Ellie screamed as three beams of light hit her in the chest. The Doctor whipped out the screwdriver but it only made her screams louder as strings of numbers were pulled from her convulsing chest. Similar beams of light were streaming from Hamish's skull and they both dropped like stones to the floor. The General was furiously tapping away on the computer and another alien yelled "He's overloading the machine!" The General slammed his hand down on a button and the screams stopped. Clara fell to her knees as the containment field dropped from around her to encase the Doctor. Clara ran to the central column where Ellie was struggling against the oxygen mask which had been placed over her nose and mouth. Clara dropped to her knees and looked into her daughters unseeing eyes. The General laughed. "She can't see you Miss Oswald. She isn't even a real child." Clara stood up and whirled around, staring at the General defiantly despite her tear stained cheeks. "That's where you're wrong! She could be made of jam for all I care! She has memories and she deserves to live." Clara turned and pressed both hands up against the glowing light. "Hey, Ellie." Ellie's eyes were full of fear but she met Clara's gaze steadily. "You remember being little, don't you? You remember your mum and your dad. You can remember school, friends, family, and everything else, right? Use it to fight against the machine!" Suddenly a shower of sparks erupted from the console and an alien yelled "She's overloading the machines - to many memories!" The General pulled out a gun and fired, narrowly missing Clara's head. A second shot hit her squarely in the back and Clara screamed. Hamish awoke with a jolt and the Doctor pulled against his invisible chains. Clara could feel the blackness eating away at the edges of her vision but she kept eye contact with Ellie. "Good! Keep remembering! I know you can do it - because this should be impossible." Clara smiled as her eyes glazed over. "Another impossible girl." She whispered. Sirens blared and Clara collapsed to the floor, the back of her dress turning black from the blood seeping through.


	7. In the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update, but you do get two chapters :3 There should be a bonus scene coming soon, along with a few explanations that I couldn't fit into the actual story >.

Clara opened her eyes slowly. She was in a bed, her bed, in the TARDIS. The Doctor was peering over her, holding the sonic up to her face. He grinned as he saw her eyes flutter open. "You're alive! Brilliant!" Clara tried to sit up but a sharp pain in her back stopped her. She winced and the Doctor set the sonic off again, whirring it in her face. Clara pushed him away with an indignant "I'm fine!" The Doctor sat at the end of her bed, fiddling with his screwdriver. "You aren't fine! You took two pulses to the back - it could have killed you. Luckily the Grey Legion have their hearts a little lower than humans do, so the General missed." Clara looked confused. "Two pulses? I only felt one ... What happened after I ... got shot?" The Doctor wiggled his legs so he was sat cross legged on the end of her bed. "He shot you when you were down. Then Ellie overloaded the machine and the containment fields dropped. Hamish punched the General square in the nose and then grabbed Ellie. I pulled the kill switch on the machine, grabbed you, we ran back to the TARDIS and I got us out of there." Clara smiled when she realised the Doctor must have carried her back to the TARDIS. "And Hamish? How's he taking it? Y'know daughter-is-a-robot, bigger-on-inside spacey time machine -it?" The Doctor grinned and put his screwdriver away in his jacket pocket. "He's actually taking it okay - I had to stop him from trying to examine the console. Ellie's explaining everything to him now." Clara nodded. "He has had 3 years in space - he took me being his wife's doppelgänger quite well." They sat in silence for a while until Clara spoke quietly. "I guess she can't stay with us ... it isn't fair on Hamish." The Doctor nodded. "She'll be happier ... she can't time travel anyway. The virus that infected the TARDIS is part of her DNA - any time travel would kill her." Clara didn't realise she was crying until she wiped her hand across her cheeks. "Can we ... visit?" The Doctor took her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. "No ... I'm sorry. Soon the TARDIS will have the virus out of her system and it will cause Ellie physical pain to come near the TARDIS - or anyone in it." Clara leaned forwards and buried her head in the Doctor's shoulder, clutching at his jacket. The Doctor gently kissed her neck and rubbed her back. "We could have been so good ... we could have looked after her." Clara whispered brokenly. The Doctor hugged her tighter.  
A while later, the Doctor and Clara walked into the control room, holding hands. Hamish and Ellie were sat talking but when the others entered, Ellie sprang up and hugged Clara round the middle. The Doctor let go of Clara's hand, a little reluctantly, and motioned for Hamish to follow him down the central corridor. Clara got to her knees and clasped Ellie's shoulders firmly. "You know I can't come and visit ... I mean I'd love to but..." Clara trailed off and Ellie smiled. "It’s okay - the Doctor explained. Anyway, you need to go have adventures - you don't want to be stuck on earth with me." Clara hugged Ellie tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Doctor re-enter with Hamish. The Doctor nodded and Clara let go. "Now, be good for your dad, try hard in school, and don't stay up too late." Ellie rolled her eyes but Clara pressed on. "And know that ... your mum ... she loved you. She loved you and was proud of you." Clara could see the Doctor was waving his arms franticly so she finished quickly. "And Ellie. If you are ever in danger - call me through the physic paper. I'll answer, and I'll come find you, okay?" They hugged one last time before Ellie ran off and gave the Doctor a quick hug. He pulled out the two spitfires and handed them to her. “Take care of these for me.” He said with a grin. Ellie nodded solemnly, grasped her father’s hand and walked towards the door. Hamish opened it and stepped into the late morning sun but Ellie lingered in the door way. “Thank you.” She said simply before bounding out of the TARDIS, the door clicking softly behind her. The TARDIS whirred into action and Clara ran to the door, opening it as the TARDIS was a dozen feet in the air. She hung out of the door and watched Ellie and Hamish wave goodbye. She waved back until they were tiny specks of the ground, until she was so far away the Earth looked like a marble beneath her feet.


	8. Bonus Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny little bonus scene and some explanations for y'all :3

Clara sat with her head on the Doctor's shoulder, staring absentmindedly at the console. He was fiddling with his screwdriver and Clara could tell he was itching to ask her something. He suddenly burst out with it, taking Clara by surprise. "Are you ever gonna have kids of your own?" The words fell over each other as the Doctor said them and Clara sighed. "Please can we not talk about that just now." The Doctor looked crestfallen. "Oh. Okay." After a while, Clara got tired of his kicked puppy expression so she answered quietly. "I'd like to - one day. But not right away, I mean, I'm going to see lots of kids if I stay as a Nanny so it's not as if I'm missing out. I haven't even got a boyfriend, anyway." The Doctor visibly relaxed and jumped up to twirl some dials on the console. "Where do you want to to go now? Oh I know! Lets go see Jenny and Vastra! I think we could meet them about..." Clara interrupted him with a hand on his forearm. "Can I just go home please. I want to see the kids again." The Doctor did his kicked puppy expression again so Clara hastily added. "But it'll only be for a day - then we'll go see your friends." The Doctor beamed at her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Clara giggled and the TARDIS sprang into motion. They were off!  
\-------------------------------------  
Extra  
Hello! This story is actually, properly done now - but I might write a sequel... depends on if you guys want me to or not!   
Well this story has a ton of plot holes, so I thought I'd explain some bits that don't make sense ... 

The houses in chapter whatever,  
Some old houses have linked cellars, I guess the doors are unlocked because everyone is so trusting!

This part of London is empty because the aliens have brainwashed the people into staying out of the way - it's easier than making them forget a spaceship!

Ellie can use regeneration energy (even though she's a robot) because the DNA mask is more than skin deep - the Grey Legion made her too human, and by extension, too timelord.

The Grey Legion didn't need Clara on the deck, the Doctor was just making stuff up. However, even the grey legion had heard of the impossible girl, and thought she might try something if they let her out.

The TARDIS did try to tell the Doctor something was wrong and Ellie was a robot but the virus stopped her.

The box gun thing isn't really a gun - Clara needed to distract and scare the guards. If she pulled the trigger, it would have just blown the computer systems.

These are all the ones I can think of, but I may update later. Thanks to everyone who reads this, but I would say this isn't my best story by far! I'll be updating the Jenny and Vastra one next (It kind of continues on from this one). It's called Demons and Angels and I'd love it if you checked it out! 

Also, if anyone has any requests, put them in the comments and I'll probably write something for you :3  
Until next time!


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